Abdominal pain can stem from a myriad of issues. Previously, I wrote about the difference between gastric pain and a stomach ulcer, in which the latter can stem from recurring gastric pain or gastritis if left untreated. Recently, I’ve been receiving a number of younger patients with bad abdominal pain and many were not able to pinpoint what exactly that pain was — though several of them thought it was gastric pain or pain caused by gas. After some tests, we found out what they were experiencing was actually appendix pain, or appendicitis.

Many stomach conditions often share the same symptoms — a dull or gnawing, burning pain in the upper part of the belly, nausea, heartburn and so on. More often than not, we’re inclined to link our abdominal pain with stomach flu or gastric pain, partly because our population is used to having recurring gastric pain attacks. That and no one would actually suspect they have a stomach ulcer — at least for the majority of my patients when I give them a diagnosis.

I’ve been asked multiple times, “Doc, is it bad if I always get gastric pain? Is having frequent gastric pain normal?” Well, the answer is no. You might think the answer to that is obvious, but many are actually unaware of the health implications frequent gastric pain brings. As a general surgeon in Singapore, I’ve noticed that the cases of gastric pain are rising, and I can only credit that to our busy lifestyles and irregular eating habits.

Both women and men are at risk of developing colorectal cancer. Although men have a slightly higher risk than women (38.2% chance in men and 27.2% chance in women), it is harder to detect colon cancer in women as the symptoms are often dismissed as gynaecological or menstrual issues. These include abdominal bloating, discomfort and gas. As a trained specialist, it is relatively easy for me to distinguish between some colorectal and gynaecological symptoms, but many female patients tend to overlook those warning signs and avoid going to the doctor entirely.

When it comes to abdominal pain, appendicitis usually isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Many would automatically assume the discomfort for a bout of food poisoning, since the symptoms of both conditions are pretty similar. But unlike food poisoning, appendicitis usually rapidly worsens in a matter of hours and is considered a medical emergency.

As a general surgeon in Singapore, I’ve seen cases where patients ignore the pain or try a wait-and-see approach only to be faced with a life threatening situation. Don’t let that be you — here’s how to tell if a stomach ache is actually appendicitis and what to do should you be diagnosed with the condition.